Introduction

Since 2020, UNDP Nigeria has supported the Nigerian government in advancing its police reform agenda, including the development of the Framework for the Presidential Police Reform Roadmap titled “A New Vision for Policing in Nigeria” (October 2021). This Roadmap, approved by the President in March 2022, outlines the government’s commitment to transforming the Nigerian Police Force into a professional, accountable service that enjoys public trust, as envisioned in the Police Act 2020. UNDP’s Supporting Police Reform Processes in Nigeria project plays a critical role in operationalising this vision by establishing institutional foundations such as the Police Reform and Transformation Office and the Presidential Reform Panel.

As part of this initiative, UNDP, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, conducted a nationwide survey across police commands and divisions to identify policing challenges and gather data essential for the development of a National Policing Plan. This initiative aligns with Sections 9(1) and 28 of the Police Act 2020 (as amended), which emphasize the integration of evidence-based budgeting with annual policing plans for strategic resource allocation.

By ensuring budgetary needs are informed by robust data, this research will enhance resource allocation, support strategic crime management, and strengthen internal security. Furthermore, the findings will enable the Police to present a compelling case to the National Assembly and Federal Government for increased funding, ultimately bolstering the effectiveness of policing services in Nigeria.

Methodology

Process

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Sample Overview

Total Sample Size: Over 3000 Police Divisions

Key Findings

The following section details the key findings from the National Policing Survey. Analysis was conducted at both the national and state levels. Readers can explore detailed subnational results using the interactive features contained in this report.

Main Challenges

Most significant challenge faced by police was insufficient number of personnel (78%), closely followed by lack of vehicles/equipment (76%), insufficient support for medical needs (62%), inadequate training (54%), insufficient support for mental wellbeing (51%), unsatisfactory communication flow (50%) and lack of proper guidelines (31%). Insufficient number of personnel and lack of vehicles/equipment are top 2 challenges across all the states but in addition to that Insufficient support for mental wellbeing is prevalent in Taraba state.

National Overview

Main Challenges Reported

Operational Challenges

Explore by State

Access to Equipment and Health Services

It was observed only one quarter of the divisions have access to specialized equipment for fighting crime, 24% have access to paid medical care and few (14%) have access to mental health support. Six in ten divisions have access to medical facilities of which 69% are public and 75% are outside the division premises. Lack of access to specialized equipment for fighting crime cut across all the states, only FCT have 53% of police divisions with access to specialized equipment for fighting crime. None of the selected divisions in Taraba state have access to specialized equipment for fighting crime. So also access to paid medical care and mental health support was low across the states and FCT. Despite that 61% of police divisions have access to medical facilities at national level, Anambra (43%), Oyo (47%) and Zamfara (47%) have less than half of their police divisions with access to medical facilities.

Access to Specialised Equipment

Access to Paid Medical Care

Access to Mental Health Support

Police Misconduct

More than half (57%) of the divisions did not maintain a record of police misconduct cases. This led to a high non-response rate (73%) to know whether misconduct cases have increased or not over time. The maintenance rate was worse in Yobe (86%), Osun (79%) and Taraba state (77%).

Types of Police Misconduct

Analysis of police misconduct patterns reveals that Unprofessional Conduct emerged as the predominant category, accounting for 39% of all reported cases across divisions. Within this classification, the most frequently documented subcategories were Public Interaction issues at 18.3%, which encompasses problematic encounters between officers and community members, Personal Conduct violations at 10.9%, relating to officers’ behavior both on and off duty, and Disciplinary Issues at 9.5%, involving violations of departmental protocols and standards. This distribution suggests that the majority of misconduct cases stem from behavioral and interpersonal challenges rather than procedural or technical violations. The significant percentage of public interaction issues, in particular, highlights the need for enhanced training in community engagement and professional communication. Cases of Abuse of Power (19.3%) was the second highest category of police misconduct followed by cases involving Corruption (15.4%)

National Overview
Explore by State

Human Rights and SGBV

Slightly more than half, 52% of selected divisions have unit handling human rights violations and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). Of which majority (91%) of the unit have contributed to a decrease in incidents, improved community relations and enhanced officer training and awareness. Measures taken to promote and protect human rights in policing practices are continuous training (29%), uphold human right in policing (37%) and partnership with community (9%) while 21% of the divisions were not taken any measure to promote and protect human rights in policing.

The top 3 commands with a high presence of unit handling human rights violations and SGBV are FCT (80%), Taraba (75%) and Imo (73%). While the least 3 commands are Kebbi (17%), Zamfara (21%) and Kogi state (24%).

Presence of Human Rights and/or SGBV Unit in Division

Effectiveness of Human Rights and/or SGBV Unit

Community Policing

A majority (81%) of the divisions engaged and built trust with local communities. There were community-based policing initiatives/programs in more than half of the divisions (58%). Less than one quarter of the divisions observed recurring challenges that negatively impact the relationship between police and the community (24%). Also, 47% of the divisions observed a high concentration of schools lacking adequate security. It was also observed that most (74%) of the community always collaborate with the police on security and safer school initiative. Meanwhile, about 1 in 5 communities do not collaborate with the police on security and safer school initiative.

Community Policing Metrics

Conclusion and Recommendations